Where a Kid Can be a Kid!

We went to Chuck E Cheese. Jesse's mom got the idea, so she and my sister in law, Ashlie, drove to Lincoln last Sunday and away we went. Jesse had to work all weekend and was jealous he didn't get to go.

Maximus was THRILLED! He had more fun than I expected him to. I didn't know there were so many "little kid" things to do there. When Chuck E Cheese (the mouse) walked out, Maximus clung to grandma, but other than that, he was off running.

He doesn't like to eat pizza, so he enjoyed two veggie plates from the salad bar.

Uncle Fletcher (unk-fa), Ransom and another friend joined us there and we all played the games and to my surprise, I was really competitive about the tickets we were winning. I felt like a kid again. I wanted all of us to score as many tickets as we could so Maximus could get a cool prize when we combined our winnings. He ended up selecting a teddy bear. The lady behind the counter had a few stuffed animals out that he could choose from and he would pick up one and throw it...until he picked up the bear. He hugged it and it was totally adorable.

He crashed out a few blocks into the drive home. It was a really good time and I can't wait to go back!

It's 1pm. Maximus went down for his nap a bit after 9am. Wow.

He's Really Not Spoiled

Jesse's parents got Maximus a trampoline! He loves it! Check out his face up close in the picture above. It's classic Maximus. The kid has it made: trampoline, pool, slide, golf clubs, basketball hoop, tricycle, atv, car, kitchen, dining table and chairs, 2 shopping carts, 2 wagons, 3 strollers, 46 dodos and parents who love him. He was exhausted after playing in his pool, going down the slide, mowing the lawn with a bubble mower and jumping on his trampoline. He slept during our evening walk with Jackie. And the poor boy is so fair like Jesse, that today his legs are covered in little cuts from the grass. He's such a boy.

Last night during our typical bedtime routine, I couldn't find him. He was just laying on the kitchen floor in his cute bummies that my mom got him during her cruise to Alaska.
Look how tall he is! I think he looks just like Jesse in this picture.
He usually gives Jackie lovers before he goes to bed.

Giggles

"Handsomeness"

Maximus has been changing during the last two weeks. He's taller, he's talking more (and we understand him), he's successful with potty training, he follows directions and we just notice him being more of a "kid" than a baby. It's bittersweet.

He had so much fun at the playground this evening. He found a doll and shoved her into a broken sprinkler. Check out his silk In-N-Out shirt! Californians will understand. I've wanted him to own one for a while. And Mother Dear (yes, that's what I actually call her), thank you for his MANY gifts. I love and miss you. I can't wait to move back to Salt Lake and have you visit us as often as you'd like. And we hope to see you in Cincinnati!
Check out the "stay straight" thing we do with Maximus to keep his muscles strong...

They LOVE Each Other!

Tomato Overload

Clearly I wasn't thinking when I planted 6 cherry tomato plants when I'm the only one in the house who actually likes them. We've been picking a medium bowl full every day and I've been eating them all! I think I'm going to make a sweet basil marinara sauce with them.

Success

Tonight Maximus made the pee pees in the potty! I know it's gross to non-parents, but here's the proof:

Mama and dad are so proud of you, Handsomer! We love you and knew you could do it. You're on the road to success with many other things.

Breakfast of Champions

Maximus ate an ENTIRE bowl of this super heavy cereal this morning. Like, a 12oz. bowl with whole milk. Heavy! He also had a sliced banana and a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Then...he ate half of my cereal with soy milk. Where does he put it all?! I'm amazed at how much a growing boy eats.

Tomatoes!

Maximus prefers to eat my tomatoes unripened and with a side of tree bark. Gross. But look what I was able to add to my salad! And they taste awesome!

My Other Blog

I started another blog! It's called Secrets of a Skinny Chef and you guessed it, it's about food. I never write down my recipes, so I hope that blog helps me remember what I make. If you're interested in eating better food, then check it out. If not, then don't check it out and continue being unhealthy and fat. Enjoy!

secretsofaskinnychef.blogspot.com

Does anyone who has a blogger account know how to edit my "about me" section so it's not the same info on both of my blogs? Help! I'm an idiot!

It Really Is!

It's Ugly, but it's Good

I love recreating recipes that Jesse loves, but aren't necessarily good for him. Two of his favorite things are cheesecake and lemon flavored desserts. As I've stated before, I don't like baking and I'm nothing close to a decent baker. I experimented with lemon cheesecake and was successful!

Of course I didn't write down how I made this, but I virtually eliminated all the sugars and cut the fat way down. I'd say by 90%. There is no sugar in the filling and only in the graham cracker crust. This ugly cheesecake is almost entirely organic with the exception of the Smart Balance Light I used in binding the crust.

I know it's a winner because when I came into the house last night from watering my tomatoes, Jesse and Maximus were sitting on the floor in the kitchen sharing two large pieces of it. Jesse said he can't believe how amazing it tastes for being somewhat of a healthy cheesecake. What a guy! And the proof is when Max takes a bite, nods, raises his eyebrows and says "Mmm!"